St. Landry democrat., 1887-01-08
WORK FOR WOMEN.
A Problem Toward Whose Solution House~
Wives Can Largely Contribute.

A Problem Toward Whose Solution ITouse~
Wives Can Largely Contribute.
The perennial discussion of the o1es-
ton how womc1 dependent upon their
own eXertions can best gain liveli-
hood is being argued with more ar4-
nation than usual Essays are being
written on the subject, unnunlbered
sermons preached and interviews had
with philanthropists and those inter-
ested in lettering the condition. Of
women. There are two points, how
ever, upon which all who discuss the
question seem to agree. One of these
is the fact that the many avenues of
employment opened to women in recent
years have not solved the problem.
Telegraphy, type-writing and clerking
have been added to sewing and factory
and domestic service, and vet there is
great army still unemployed. All
the lighter and more attractive en-
Payments are OVercrOWdcd and this
TACT acts as a constantly depressing
weight upon the wages paid to women
and gives opportunity for those exac-
tons and eNtortions which the public
are SO often called upon to condemn
and commiseratc
The other point of agreement is that
a larger diversion of women into do
mestic service would go far towards
solving the difficulty. Nineteen men,
or women, out of twenty when asked
what unemployed women are to do for
l living will point to the good wages
paid to household servants and will
cite the fact that trustworthy servants
are always in demand. Many women
will give these facts as the excuse for
refusing to aid in any movement for
lettering the condition of working
girls. declaring their inability to SYM
pathize with those who refuse honest,
well-paid work. AS the facts can not
be disputed, there must be some reason
tor them. And, perhaps, if women will
study carefully the manner in which
they treat their servants little light
will dawn upon them. Let them for a
moment put themselves in the servants
place and be compelled TO work and
eat in the kitchen and sleep in poorly
ventilated rooms, and they will under
stand one of the chief reasons why
girls will work ten hours in factory
or bend over a needle half as much
more time, earning barely enough to.
keep body and soul together, before
they will enter domestic service.
The servant girl in the city is treated
much as the farm hand is in the coun-
try. The one is confined to the kitchen
all day, and if any other quarters are
accorded her they are most probably a
garnet at the top of the house, while
the other is banished to the field or the
barn in the daytime, and, is considered
lucky if he is allowed to sit by the
kitchen fire in the chill winter even
lngs. And vet housewives wonder why
all the bright, quick girls go into fac
tories and shops and farmers marvel
why the smart boys prefer trades and
clerkships to working on the farm. If
domestic service is Stunned the house.
wives are largely responsible for it be-
ing so. Let some of the women who
are striving over some impracticable
scheme for widening woman's sphere,
ask themselves if they would not be
laboring more to the purpose by de-
voting less space to parlors and guests
chambers and more to letting some of
Gods light and air into their servants
quarters. Then perhaps there would
be fewer lamentations over the army of
unemployed women and less cause to
regret the smallness of the number of
trustworthy helpers in the household
Philadelphia Press.